TRENDING:

The former head of Indiana’s Department of Child Services warned in a resignation letter that the governor’s policies toward her department “all but ensure children will die," The Indianapolis Star reported Monday.

Mary Beth Bonaventura wrote in a Dec. 12 resignation letter to Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) that the administration’s decision to cut funding and services for children amid the opioid crisis puts their well-being at risk.

“I choose to resign, rather than be complicit in decreasing the safety, permanency and well-being of children who have nowhere else to turn,” she wrote.

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Bonaventura said the governor slashed her department’s budget, failed to upgrade technology in the department’s offices and capped staffing levels, according to The Indianapolis Star.

Holcomb, who was elected governor last year to replace Vice President Pence, said he believes the state is taking “appropriate steps,” and is increasing the department’s budget by $450 million.

States across the country have warned they will be forced to freeze or cancel enrollment in the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) if Congress doesn’t reauthorize funding.